Fasting cholesterol blood test

[tavel]

Does anyone know if the fasting cholesterol blood test a spot check on what you’ve eaten the night before? Just asking because I’m sticking to a very low fat diet but my results were not as good as expected. Unfortunately, my last meal before my test was not as low in fat as normal.

[Jaws66]

I don't think cholesterol changes that quickly; the reason for fasting is to stop it being affected by what you've just eaten. Plus, eating less fatty food doesn't necessarily mean your cholesterol levels drop. There are some good BHF resources on it if you have a look on their site.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Fasting for 10 to 12 hours before a cholesterol test ensures that a single food or meal does not affect the outcome of the test. If however you ate a McD or KFC every day,that probably would affect your results.

You say nothing about your actual levels, if you are trying to control them by diet alone, etc. With diet alone many cannot achieve the desired levels. Good luck.

[Jaws66]

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Hidden]

Maybe you could fill in your profile and give us a bit more of clue. Are you on a statin? What are the values, medical history, etc?

[tavel in reply to Hidden]

I have familial hypercholesterolaemia (APOB mutation). I take 80mg atorvastatin and 10mg Ezetimibe daily. My consultant wants my LDL below 1.9 but the last test showed 2.5 with overall rate of 4,4. As I mentioned, I eat a very low fat diet and I also exercise for 30 minutes a day. I had 2 stents inserted a couple of years ago.

[Hidden in reply to tavel]

Ah. Well in that case I think you should ask the same question to your consultant then? Unfortunately your condition means getting the level down is going to be a constant struggle, going on previous posts and experience of someone I know with FH. I would also not take too much notice of the high fat diet that is sometime promoted by a few - again ask your consultant what he makes of it! Good luck to you.

[Hidden]

Cholesterol levels can move significantly in a matter of days or even hours, despite what the "accepted knowledge" says, so much so that not too much focus should be placed on any individual test.

Things that can lower cholesterol include a high fat diet for 5 days before the test (can have a massive lowering effect), plenty of sun exposure, exercise.

Things that can raise your cholesterol include reducing your fat intake on the days preceding the test, high stress levels, any sort of illness or infection, consuming more alcohol, fasting for longer than the recommended time.

I realise some of these things sound counter intuitive, which is why personally I wouldn't focus too much on the results of a single test in isolation.

[Nettekin in reply to Hidden]

Hi supafil. Do you have any resources to refer to about the use of a high fat diet to reduce cholesterol? Are you suggesting a long term high fat diet will keep cholesterol levels low and is this relevant to people with FH?

[Hidden in reply to Nettekin]

Dave Feldman has done lot of experimentation with diet alteration and frequent cholesterol tests - hundreds of tests per year, he's like a pin cushion. He's also recruited others and is collating a lot of data. Specifically he found that vastly increasing dietary fat intake just a handful of days before a cholesterol test reduced the numbers dramatically. Personally I follow a very low carbohydrate diet which has seen my HDL and LDL increase significantly, and a reduction in triglycerides. All my other health markers have improved significantly, as has my overall health. I probably eat a little more fat than your average person but my diet consists mainly of meat, fish, organ meats, eggs, nuts, dairy, lots of vegetables and a small amount of berries. I don't eat processed food, vegetable seed oils, potatoes, grains or sugar. You can find more about Dave Feldman's work at cholesterolcode.com/

Edit: Just to add, I really don't know too much about FH and what effects diet may have on that, or whether it is helpful or harmful.

[Hidden in reply to Nettekin]

health.usnews.com/doctors/d...

?????? I think I will stick with the mainstream approach. I wonder what being in practice between 11 to 20 years is exactly?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

That is not the Dave Feldman I refer to. The one I mention is not a scientist and not anchored in dogma, he's an engineer. But keep doing whatever works for you and what your doctor instructs you to do. Or, take a look at the data.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks all the same Phil but I think I will stick with the professionals. Do you have any links to this particular engineer/cardiovascular expert?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes, cholesterolcode.com is his website where he publishes his own research. I'm not necessarilly advocating for what he does, but I found the way he was able to significantly manipulate his cholesterol results just by changing what he did a few days beforehand to be fascinating - especially when we are told that lifestyle alterations (including medication) take about 3 months to take effect. I've spoken with this guy and he comes across as extremely knowledgeable about cholesterol and also is not afraid to say "I don't know".

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I won't go into the (boring) details but when I came out of hospital after having had the stents, I had a blood test done and just 5 days on 80mg Atorvastatin had my overall cholesterol down to 3 from 4.9.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I do find this stuff interesting. I was discharged from hospital and told I would have to wait 3 months for another cholesterol test "to give time for the statins to work". Knowing the mechanism by which statins work, what you experienced makes far more sense.